Have you noticed more and more physicians outside the radiology department are performing ultrasound scans on a regular basis? Do you think this will have a negative impact on sonographers (ie: decline in job opportunities, losing exams to physicians etc)? Or will this practice improve patient care and create new, non-traditional jobs for sonographers in areas outside the imaging suite?

That is one consideration. However, if the past is any indication (ie, OB physicians doing their own scans only to eventually hire their own sonographers) eventually the physicians outside of radiology who are doing their own scans will (hopefully) recognize that their time is better spent doing other things and they will hire their own sonographers. This team approach would positively impact our employment outlook both in terms of increasing the number of scans needed to be done as well as increasing the types of practice settings in which we can be employed. Again, if we draw comparisons to OB/GYN - think of how many sonographers are employed in private OB/GYN offices as well as in OB departments of hospitals including maternal fetal medicine.  I know from experience in working in a fertility office. The Docs knew we could do it faster and better than they could ever do. Although the practice took the majorityof the $$ it was lucrative for me as well.

 We can do our part by promoting our profession  including - as you say - encouraging the new users to let the specialists do the job and work as a team to promote better patient care.